MINNEAPOLIS — With appearances in each of the last five NCAA championship games, yielding four titles, Minnesota has been the team to try to beat in women’s hockey.

Yet entering Frozen Four weekend this year, the Gophers are not considered the favorite. They’re the only unseeded team that advanced from the quarterfinals, even if their reputation has overshadowed their season resume.

“Coming to the University of Minnesota, especially in recent years, is that expectation to be the top team,” said junior forward Kelly Pannek. “No team is looking at us like the underdog.”

The Gophers (26-7-5) will play Clarkson (30-4-5) in a semifinal on Friday in St. Charles, Missouri, a first-time Frozen Four site and the home of Lindenwood University. Boston College (28-5-5) will face Wisconsin (32-2-4) in the other game. The championship is on Sunday, televised on the Big Ten Network.

“Our team has gone through a lot of adversity this year, and just being able to fight through that and to push through and be able to make our way back is really meaningful,” said senior forward Dani Cameranesi, who missed six weeks due to injury but returned in time for March. “It’s such an honor to be able to go back.”

Cameranesi wasn’t the only key player who missed time this season. An 8-2 loss at Wisconsin on Dec. 4 and a sweep by Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13-14 were low moments. But the Gophers tied the Badgers, who have been ranked first in the national polls since the preseason, in consecutive games on Feb. 18-19 and built some momentum for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs. The Gophers beat Minnesota Duluth 1-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals last weekend.